Freshman mayor

The face of local government drastically changed in Muskogee, Okla., in May when the 38,000-resident city elected John Tyler Hammons, a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Oklahoma, as its new mayor. Garnering more than 70 percent of the vote, Hammons defeated former Mayor Hershel Ray McBride in a runoff election after both candidates failed to win 50 percent of the vote in the city’s April 1 contest, according to The Associated Press (AP). “Being elected does not change my desire to continue my education,” he told AP. “We will schedule our time in an appropriate fashion so that I can be mayor and stay in school.”

It takes two

In April, the North Lauderdale, Fla., City Commission adopted a resolution to separate Florida into two states. The proposed South Florida state would include Miami and the Keys, with the state line continuing to Jupiter and Fort Myers, according to United Press International (UPI). The plan also would divide Lake Okeecho-bee. North Lauderdale officials are hoping other municipalities will join in the call for separation. “It’s based out of frustration with the state legislature ignoring the cities in South Florida,” Commissioner Rich Moyle told UPI.

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